Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India in March became the second largest seller of two-wheelers in the country, overtaking Bajaj and coming within striking distance of leader and erstwhile partner Hero Motocorp. These numbers were driven by the record sales of Honda’s hugely successful scooter, the Activa, which recently saw the release of its new iteration — the BS IV Activa 125.
The popular scooter from Honda was among the first in a gearless scooter market that has grown enormously, first heralded by the iconic Kinetic Honda and later, the TVS Scooty. The arrival of the Activa saw the market waking up to larger engines, and a more refined ride; and the return of the metal-bodied scooter. This version of the Activa is powered by the same 124 cc engine that first made an appearance on the Activa iteration launched in 2014 and it looks similar to its predecessor, but sports some cosmetic changes. We got ourselves a test mule and weaved through the traffic-packed arterial roads of Chennai. Here are our first impressions.
Our test mule sported the alloys and front disc brake, and the 190 mm disc at the front wheel along with the shiny alloys is an aesthetic improvement to the otherwise small wheels and drum brake set-up we generally see on scooters. The instrument cluster has an LCD panel that displays the odometer, the trip meter and the fuel level. There is no headlamp on/off switch, as the Activa now sports the Automatic Headlamp On feature and there is only the switch that lets you toggle between high beam and low beam, along with the start button, the horn, and the indicators.
Engine and performance
The Activa’s 124 cc, air-cooled, BS IV compliant unit churns out 8.5 bhp of power at 6,000 rpm and 10.5 Nm torque at 6,500 rpm. Pressing the start button, the familiar whiny hum of the engine fills the air and getting it moving feels a lot like a geared motorcycle in the first gear. A little more rev, and the engine picks up, the whiny hum becoming a breathy murmur as you feel it gather speed. Before you know it, the needle is at a healthy 40 kmph and climbing.
Handling is smooth and easy and tackling sharp turns and corners, which are common on the streets, was a breeze. It also flits effortlessly between vehicles at moderate 20-30 kmph speeds, when you want to beat the rush hour traffic.
The suspension set-up on the Activa, while it didn’t cause any loss in handling confidence even earlier, was always over-pliant and tuned for slow speeds. The same can be said for this iteration too. Going gentle into that rough pothole is a good idea, as is slowing down over a nasty speedbreaker. Braking is efficient and assuring, thanks to the disc brake on the front wheel and Honda’s Combi Braking System, which uses an equaliser to balance the braking on both wheels. The bike maintains decent balance even when subjected to sudden and hard braking, and manages to screech to a halt with minimal loss of grip at the tyres.
The new Activa 125’s mileage couldn’t be measured to the last kilometre. But, we got about 170 kms from a full tank of 5.3-litre capacity.
Bottomline The Activa has got a timely upgrade, with other companies lining up similar feature-packed scooters for the lucrative Indian market. But with this iteration, there’s no reason why the Activa should not hold its own, given the trust factor that this scooter has built over the years. And starting at ₹56,954 (ex-showroom Delhi), it’s a value for money buy.
Correction
A paragraph has been removed due to factual errors.